Stephanie Booker
Real Name: Stephanie Booker Case: Reckless Driving Location: Lewisville, Texas Date: June 17, 1995 Case Details: On June 17, 1995, Stephanie Booker and her two friends, Sabra Scott and Kim Colvin, spent the day swimming and sailing on Lake Lewisville, twenty miles north of Dallas. After dinner that night, they went out for one last moment in their boat. Shortly before midnight, they turned around and headed back to shore. They slowed down as they entered the marina and passed through a no-wake zone. That zone prohibits boaters from going faster than five miles per hour. Out of nowhere, a single engine Mercury cruiser speedboat drove right over them, its propeller slashing Stephanie's face. The offenders looked back at them, but they made no attempts to help or stand up for their responsibilities. After about a minute, they fled the scene. Stephanie was badly mutilated by the reckless driving; she was unable to speak and had problems breathing. Her friends suffered minor injuries. Paramedics immediately rushed Stephanie to the hospital. It took twelve reconstructive surgeries to repair the damage to her face. She lost some of her nerves and teeth and can't smell or taste very well. Her memory and concentration is not as good as it was before the incident. The police meanwhile began a search for the people in the speedboat. Witnesses who saw the collision report that the perpetrators hurriedly loaded their boat onto a trailer towed by a pickup truck. They then fled the area without even tying the boat down. The police have been contacted three times by a person who claims to know the guilty culprits. The caller claimed that he would talk to them and try and get them to turn themselves in. However, this has not yet happened. Although her wounds have healed, Stephanie won't be fully recovered until her attackers are brought to justice. Suspects: The suspects' boat was a Miami Vice-style speedboat, with a single engine Mercury cruiser out-drive. It is 25 to 30 feet long, painted white, with teal-green markings. The fiberglass shell was probably damaged on the starbord side, about five feet from the stern. The motor would have had damage to the out-drive, girkins, skeg, or gimbal ring. It might have been brought in for repairs or sold sometime after June 17, 1995. The suspects were seen loading it onto a white pickup truck. The driver of the boat was a stocky, muscular, clean shaven white male with light hair. His companion was an athletic-looking woman with very long dark hair. They have never been identified. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the November 15, 1996 episode. Results: Unresolved. The three women later sued the marina where the incident occurred, claiming that the no-wake zone was not properly lit, managed, or enforced. Several witnesses have since stated that athlete Dennis Rodman may have been involved in the incident. He owned a boat identical to that of the suspects'. Some witnesses, including Sabra Scott, reported that he was on the lake the same day that the incident occurred. Another witness claimed that he virtually confessed that his boat was the one that struck Stephanie, although he was not driving it. As a result of the suit, he was deposed. It is unknown if any information came about from the lawsuit. However, investigators have noted that Rodman and his associates have since been cleared as suspects as their alibis were confirmed. Interestingly, in 2002, an eerily similar speedboat hit-and-run happened on Lake Buchanan in Central Texas, killing one person and injuring two others. Eight years later, the assailant, Travis Aaron Marburger, was arrested in Burnet County and charged with manslaughter. However, there is no evidence tying him to Stephanie's case. No one has been charged in it. Unfortunately, the statue of limitations expired on June 18, 1998, three years after the incident. Links: * Stephanie Booker at Unsolved.com * Web Sleuths Discussion on Stephanie's Case * Hypnosis used in search for driver of boat that struck woman * Bradley Police check boats * Surprise search doesn't find boat * Dennis Rodman's deposition to be used in boating accident lawsuit * Dennis Rodman Gets Deposed in Texas Boating Lawsuit * Time running out on woman's 1995 maiming * Time running out in case of woman's maiming * Texas Parks Wildlife Department v. Garrett Place, Inc. (1998) * File access: Accident victim to see investigation documents * Accident victim to see investigation documents * Arrest in Marburger Case ---- Category:Texas Category:1995 Category:Vehicular Manslaughter Category:Attempted Murder Category:Lake-Related Cases Category:Unresolved